Alison Benjamin: The chancellor's announcement in this week's pre-budget report that he will sweep up money languishing in dormant UK bank accounts to invest in youth services, particularly in deprived communities, should be welcomed, albeit cautiously.

Robert Napier: Gordon Brown this week announced the biggest housebuilding programme for two generations, but the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) missed the chance to improve the standards of houses built with public money.